Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye is the real name of this series, but we just call it “Guinea P.I.” since that’s what it looks like on the cover, and that’s the joke of it. Sasspants* is a guinea pig and when the “g” falls off his sign a hamster thinks it’s a sign announcing him as a private detective. Welcome to Mr. Venezi’s pet shop, where all the animals are mislabeled (the shop doesn’t really have walruses, llamas, gorillas, koalas, and tractors). Meet the characters:
Sasspants, the reluctant at first P.I., his name alone is hilarious (Detective Pants!) He’s kind of grumpy, likes to read literature, wants to be left alone, eventually he really is friends with Hamisher. He’s the long-suffering smart one in the shop, while most of the other animals are excitable and easily fooled.
Hamisher, the sort of annoying, overly enthusiastic and adoring hamster. He’s the one who makes Sasspants solve mysteries and become friends.
The goldfish, who are very stupid.
Gerry, the snake who makes comments about wanting to eat everyone.
The chinchillas-obsessed with fashion, celebrities, and their hair. One of them keeps a mouse and dresses it up all the time and carries it around like a doll.
Viola, a shop assistant who actually is great with the animals joins the cast in book #4.
Each book is a small mystery that Sasspants must solve, struggling to make sense of things as all the other animals talk at once and are often idiotic, if well-meaning. It’s all dialogue in these graphic novels, and there’s a lot of it. At the end of each book a page called “Hamisher Explains” includes information about something that occurred in the book (animals, how mice get through walls, etc.)
This is a very funny series, a little difficult to read aloud, but a lot of fun and we all enjoy these. There are 5 books so far:
#1 Hamster and Cheese
#2 And Then There Were Gnomes
#3 The Ferret’s a Foot
#4 Fish You Were Here
#5 Raining Cats and Detectives
*Sasspants is an awesome name, right up there with Chico Bon Bon. They are my top two favorite character names.
Fourteen Bears 
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